The Definition of a Date
by TacoTomodachi
Summary: Alice asks Oz what a date is.  The young contractor has no clue how to respond.


A/N: Hello Readers! I have current writer's block regarding my other story and while staring at my ceiling trying to make my mind work (and looking like I had really bad diarrhea) this popped into my mind. During the chapter 62 I wanted to add a bit of fluff and this is the result. Note that I didn't reread the chapter prior to writing this so this will not be 100% accurate. Gosh, I don't even remember if there was supposed to be a festival! But either way, hope people like my first ever one shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pandora Hearts.

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><p>The Definition of a Date <p>

1. a particular month, day, and year at which some event happened or will happen

2. the time during which anything lasts

3. an appointment for a particular time, esp with a person to whom one is sexually or romantically attached 

"Oz, I can smell delicious meat in that direction!"

"Alright, let's check it out, Alice!"

Oz sped off with her, as she kept nose stuck sniffing the air, somehow getting the whiff of meat in the far off distance.

"You two wait a sec!" Was the yell behind them from Gilbert.

Oz laughed as he hadn't for what felt like ages. "Hurry up Papa!" He called back behind him.

Alice joined in the laughter.

They submerged themselves into the crowded market road. The usual stalls had been replaced with odd tents and tables with equally odd looking people selling everything from little bobbles to jewelry that had the suspicious appearance of little fingers. The high spirits were contagious.

"Found it!" She chirped gleefully. They came to a little stall where a man was roasting a dozen kabobs on an open grill. Oz suppressed a laugh at her ravenous expression, quickly paying before she started drooling.

"Looks like we lost Seaweed Head," she observed as she stripped a whole stick clean in one bite. Oz craned his neck to try and catch of glimpse of his trademark top hat sticking above all the heads. Nothing.

"That means we have no chaperone," he stated plainly. He and Alice exchanged looks.

"Come on Oz, let's explore!"

They spent a a good while examining the large number of performances around the square including a man throwing around sticks of fire, a troupe of dancers dressed in a rainbow of colours; Oz spent a good ten minutes explaining that a man was standing on two ten foot poles called tilts and was not in fact a chain in disguise, followed by convincing her that she shouldn't attempt it herself. It was odd how easy it was to laugh and smile after everything that had happened with Elliot...

"Hey. Hey. Hey Oz!"

He snapped back into focus and turned to Alice who was nibbling on a piece of nougat. "Huh?" They had taken a break and were sitting down on a stone ledge.

"I said what's that?" She pointed in front of them to a couple who were laughing over a number of masked men playing out a skit.

"That's a play. It's when people act out a –"

"No, no," she said impatiently. "I'm talking about _that. _Their hands. Why are they holding each other's hands?"

"Oh." It had never occurred to Oz that she had never known what holding hands were. He didn't really know how to explain it. "Well um, they're probably on a date."

Alice blinked. "A date. What's that?"

Oz felt his face grow hot despite himself and he fumbled for a coherent sentence. "A date is... it's um, it's when two people go somewhere alone together and..."

"Hold hands?"

"Well yes, you can hold hands. You don't have to but you can. So anyway, it's when you spend time together at someplace special. Was that a good explanation?" Oz was pretty sure it wasn't.

She just frowned at the boy and girl still holding hands. Oz couldn't understand her expression. "So..." She formed her words slowly. "We're on a date."

"W – What?" Oz had to grab a stranger to keep from falling off where they sat. He gave a swift apology to him and righted himself. "We – We're not –"

Alice spoke simply, as if running down a checklist. "We're two people alone together. And we're at a festival, that's someplace special right? And holding hands is optional so..."

"It's true that those all match but..." Oz tried not to scold himself. Yes, he definitely did _not_ give a good explanation. "But to be on a date, the two people need to like each other... Not that I don't like Alice! Just… not like that!" He quickly added, seeing her face fall.

"What is it like then? How do you like someone like _that._" she asked, looking even more confused.

"It's like when you... uh..." How the hell was he supposed to explain this one? "When you look at another person and you feel... butterflies!"

She raised a slightly bewildered eyebrow. "Butterflies?"

"Yes! In your stomach. And they're all fluttering about. Oh, and your heart beats a little faster when you're around them." _There, _Oz thought proudly. That was a pretty good description.

"So I guess... I _like _meat!"

"Uh." That too almost made Oz fall down, but managed to pull a supportive grin. "Yeah um, I guess so."

She was half way to what appeared to be an understanding smile when it dropped. She twiddled her fingers. "No, it's different though. Like you can't think properly when you're around them and they're all that's in your head at the time."

"Yeah! Yeah exactly!"

"But both people have to feel that way right? And then put everything together, and only then is it a date."

"Yes," Oz said in slight relief, positive they weren't about to have anymore misunderstandings.

Alice got up abruptly and grinned a little too brightly. "I get it now. We're not on a date then." She turned on her heel and bounded down a random street.

"Hey Alice, wait up!" Oz was having trouble keeping up with her as she was walking with particularly long strides. He scratched the back of his head, understanding he'd just said something wrong, but not being able to pinpoint what exactly that was. "So uh... I wonder where Gil is, it's been awhile," he said weakly.

"Seaweed Head probably got lost in the tangle of his hair," she answered back with a slight snap.

"Oh yeah, right." He pursed his lips together and glanced carefully at her, but she seemed to be finding particular interest in the paved road.

"My, my, you two don't seem to be too happy at the moment. Perhaps the young couple needs an insight into their future?"

Both Oz and Alice whirled around at the word couple.

"No we're not –" Oz had began but shut it immediately.

It was a woman garbed in shabby black robes, covering all but her mouth which was cracked and so thin they were barely there. The skin on her hands, which was skin visible looked so pale and translucent it resembled paper. They moved with an eerie grace around a small crystal ball as if in a gentle caress. Oz couldn't help but notice how the tables on either side of her's were set up a good few metres away.

"We're not a couple," Alice said, finishing Oz's sentence.

"You're not? My apologies. I thought you two were on a date."

"No we're not," she huffed. "To be on a date, both people have to like each other, but in a particular way. If both people don't feel the same way than it's not a date." The bite in her tone made Oz want to shrink for some reason.

The woman's smile grew wider. They couldn't see her eyes, but her head swiveled between both of them. "But what if you don't know that both people feel the same way? Perhaps if the little lady would care to look into my crystal ball she would find out?" She gestured to the crystal sphere in front of her. Alice's cast it dismissive scowl that vanished immediately and her eyes bulged at it. She was obviously seeing something Oz wasn't, because all he could make out were clouds. Perhaps she was taking particular interest in the fact that it would be overcast tomorrow? A minute passed and he noticed only the slightest change. Yellow and a flash of green peaked out from behind the clouds.

_Yellow and green... Alice is going to find herself in a field of dandelions!  
><em>

And as suddenly as the colours appeared they were gone and Alice seemed to pull out of its hold. She glared at the woman indignantly and turned away abruptly. "That told me nothing," she said, but had turned a bright shade of pink.

Oz cast the old lady a curious glance. "I guess the little lady isn't the only one who doesn't know," she gave a chortle that he wasn't too fond of and retreated further into her hood.

"Hungry again?" Oz joked lightly, coming up behind Alice.

To his surprise she gave a slight shake of her head and said: "I want to leave."

"Oh, uh – okay. Let's go find Gil then."

They made their way back in the direction of the manor house. They were supposed to be keeping an eye out for Gilbert, but Oz was sure Alice was keeping as much to that task as he was. "So did you like the festival?" Oz asked meekly, wondering if the atmosphere was more awkward now than it was a few minutes ago.

Alice merely shrugged.

"Any chance it had anything to do with dandelions?"

"What?"

"Yellow and green. I saw a bit of yellow and green in that crazy crystal ball."

For some reason she turned bright red and refused to look at him. "It was actually gold and emer – no, I'm not telling," she muttered angrily.

Oz's curiosity surged but he kept his mouth shut. _So I guess it wasn't dandelions._

They'd eventually made their way back unto the main road where new acts were being set up that were better suited for a nighttime backdrop. Oz sighed, his brain not having been able to wrap around how exactly to lighten up the mood when he saw him. He was striding up to them, same scowl, same strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes... Oz felt a surge of hope bloom inside his stomach and –

The boy passed, shot him a frown and turned away and disappeared around the next corner. A cold pit formed in Oz's stomach where there had been warmth. His hands folded into fists and he bit his lip hard enough he tasted blood.

"Oz?" Alice began tentatively.

_It wasn't him, _his mind told him firmly. _It couldn't have been him._ And yet, he'd been so ready to believe it actually was. How pathetic.

"Oz?"

He gave a soft snort to himself and smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry about that Alice, I thought I saw someone I knew. But it definitely wasn't that person. Let's go, and maybe we'll run into Gilbert on –"

"You're such an idiot."

Oz froze. "Huh?"

Alice folded her arms and said irritably, "Stop smiling when you don't want to smile."

His lips strained to stay curved. "So what should I do? Frown?"

"You should stop pretending like you've accepted what's happened and actually get onto accepting it."

"But I have. I –"

"Oz, even there are things you can't – _won't_ accept."

Alice held his gaze steadily before he had to turn away. He watched a little ladybug crawl into a flower pot and laughed a lifeless laugh. "Maybe I'm putting up a strong front, not crying –"

"That's stupid. Not crying doesn't make you strong. Who told you that?"

Oz laughed again, a real one this time and sunk onto the nearest bench. "You're right. That was stupid." He smiled weakly at Alice who sat down next to him. "You know, Alice is the strongest person I know."

She flushed before pulling her eyes brow together suspiciously. "Are you saying I cry a lot?"

"No, no!" He struggled once more to find the right words. "It's just, I know I've already told you this, but you're great, Alice. You really are."

Her eyes widened for the briefest moment before she looked down, obscuring her face with her brown locks. "You really are an idiot. And you're my manservant, so you're supposed to say that."

Oz smiled, feeling the pain in his chest loosen just slightly and his eyes grow moist. He really did just have to accept that Elliot–

"Ouch!" He gave a loud yelp and his hand flew to his cheek where Alice had just bitten. Her arms were crossed. "A – Alice?" But before he could form a logical answer to anything, she leaned forward and he stiffened. She took her finger and wiped away the tear that had spilled from his eye. "Now you're a little bit stronger," she said softly.

He sat frozen in his spot as she withdrew, her hand pulling away... His body moved without warning, his hand darting out and intertwining with hers.

Her eyes bulged. "Oz what are you –"

Reflexively she tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip. His face felt hot and he was sure everyone in a ten foot vicinity could hear the racing of his heart that drummed so loudly in his own ears. He stared down at their hands, marveling at how soft her's were. "Butterflies..." he murmured.

"Butterflies?"

"Remember when I tried to tell to you what a date was?" _And didn't do a very good job at it, _he added silently to himself.

She nodded.

And only caring about the rapid thumping of his heart and the warmth spreading through his fingers, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. After five seconds or five years he pulled away. "Well that was a kiss, and it too is optional."

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><p>kiss<p>

-verb (used with object)

1. to touch or press with the lips slightly pursed, and then often to part them and to emit a smacking sound, in an expression of affection, love, greeting, reverence, etc. 

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><p>AN: I apologise a thousand fold for the major OOCness of this. It was difficult going from writing a playboy Oz and reverting to regular Oz and I don't think I did him justice. And it was also difficult to write from Alice reacting to playboy Oz to Alice reacting to regular Oz. Oh well. In my mind, right after this, Gilbert would come up, huffing about where they'd been and it would continue like normal in the manga, or something like that. This was written in a attempt to clear writer's block for Escape from Wonderland. Check it out on my profile page!


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